The field of the present disclosure relates generally to vehicle seating systems, including seating systems with energy attenuating (“EA”) devices for absorbing or attenuating high energy shock loads. The field may further relate to specially adapted seats and seating systems, such as for example crew seats and gunner seats designed for use in tactical military vehicles. This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/909,481 filed on Nov. 27, 2013, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.